Artists hopeful Chilton mural will help in downtown revitalization efforts

FOX34.com
By Michael A. Cantu
Published: May. 17, 2023 at 8:20 AM CST

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Those do not know about a drink called the Chilton, could soon know more.

An area artist is working on a downtown Lubbock mural dedicated to the cocktail. The work goes far beyond the dedication of a drink said to have been created in Lubbock.

It is an attempt at getting a little more color in a place you may not usually find it.

“Lubbock is typically more brown. I think by brightening up the colors, that will make a huge difference,” Garrett Day, owner of Day2Day Designs, said.

It is also his try at contributing to the Lubbock downtown revitalization effort through a Lubbock-centric drink.

“It’s all about the Chilton,” Day said. “A lot of people don’t realize that is just a Lubbock-only, kind of thing.”

In a new courtyard, next to Jux-Ta-Posh downtown, Day is finishing a mural, dedicated to the drink rumored to have started in lubbock.

It is also part of his own efforts in trying to spruce up downtown, something area organizations have been focusing on since about 2016.

“It’s recuperating after COVID. I think COVID really made everything take a hit,” Day said.

For people like John Osborne, with the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, recuperating efforts started well-before that.

“The tornado that came through in 1970 really did a lot of damage and it also changed people’s perceptions of downtown,” Osborne said.

Where many other urban areas started revitalization efforts in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Lubbock had a lot more movement from that part of town.

“There’s going to be some buildings that are boarded up and still used for storage and can be repurposed,” Osborne said. “Those are real opportunities. Whether it be for the current owner of the building or future owner of the building.”

Larger projects like Buddy Holly Hall, Citizens Tower and residential projects have caught a lot of the public’s attention.

But, as Osborne puts it, “every small project is just as important as the big ones. One way that revitalization works is a lot of peer pressure.”

And that is the hope for day, as he adds a bit of art to what used to be a salvage yard.

“By doing murals, and artwork, and having, just trying to lighten things up,” Day said. “I think that there’s been a solid effort to bring it back.”